PREGAME ANALYSIS:
The Detroit Lions historically don’t win these type of games. They have go across the country and get a win against the San Diego Chargers who are almost equally talented. I just don’t think that will happen. — Adam “Dorf” Waltersdorf
As we approach tomorrow afternoons game between the Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers, there are a few things we have to consider. First, the Detroit Lions are playing without star linebacker De’Andre Levy. It sounds like players, Larry Warford and Caruan Reid will be out or tomorrow’s contest, as well. With Reid being out, the Lions run defense could get shredded up the middle and their interior rotation could be out of whack. With Larry Warford being out, Laken Tomlinson will probably take his place at the right guard spot and he could potentially light it up or potentially get lit up. Only time will tell for what could happen with the Lions and their players in the trenches. Let’s start there though: — “Downtown” Russell Brown
Dorf’s Three Keys to the Game:
- Take advantage of the Chargers bad offensive line: The Chargers offensive line is offensively bad. The Lions should have no problem stopping the running game or getting to Philip Rivers even with DeAndre Levy expected to miss the game.
- Excellence in special teams: The Chargers have Super Bowl 47 hero Jacoby Jones returning punts and kicks for them. He’s lost a step since then, but still is dangerous. The Lions must contain him.
- Get the ground game going: Joique Bell missed the whole preseason and Ameer Abdullah didn’t do much after his first burst on the scene in week one of the preseason. They will need to figure out who’s going to be the bell cow or how they will split the load. I don’t see Zach Zenner even being active for the game, so don’t expect him to carry the load for the Lions.
Downtown’s Three Keys to the Game:
-
The offensive and defensive line play: The Lions will have some new bodies up front such as Manny Ramirez, Travis Swanson (only four career starts) and Laken Tomlinson (rookie). Can the offensive line protect Matthew Stafford? Can they get a good enough push up front to open up the run game for Joique Bell and Ameer Abdullah? Switching to the defense, we also have some new bodies up front. We’ll see a healthy Jason Jones playing opposite of Ezekiel Ansah. Then in the middle to replace Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh, we’ll see Tyrunn Walker and Haloti Ngata. What Ngata and Walker can do, will determine what kind of impact rookie running back, Melvin Gordon does for the Chargers. If the Lions start to get shredded up in the middle, Sunday could be a long day for this Lions defense.
-
Matthew Stafford: He has all the offensive weapons needed to be successful. A healthy Calvin Johnson, check. Pass catching running backs (Theo Riddick & Ameer Abdullah), check. A solid number two wide receiver (Golden Tate), check. Pass catching tight ends who don’t hurt their ankle by walking their dog (Timothy Wright & Eric Ebron), check. Stafford has to play smart and make the right decisions. Throwing to his check down receiver on the right downs, making accurate passes across the middle and not overthrowing people because not everyone is a giant like Megatron. I believe in Stafford and I believe the time is now for him to prove he can be elite. Maybe thats the homer in me or maybe it’s year two in Joe Lombardi’s system. A system that is schemed for success. The excuses are gone Matthew…you have to make us believe.
-
Discipline: For most teams, the little things are what cost them. Poor tackling and misalignments are always huge. However, penalties are what can cost a team more than anything. When you open your first possession of the game, the last thing you want to do is get flagged for a false start or a holding and move backwards. On defense, you have to remember that the league is soft and so are the rules. Don’t hit a player as he approaches the sidelines. Watch the late hits and the helmet hunting (James Ihedigbo). From face-guarding to pass interference, theres a rule for everything. The Lions just have to play smart and they’ll be alright.
